By Taylor Navarro
The realm of Asian fiction is a unique entity that just cannot be compared to what you know about the Western literature. What the West considers ‘revolutionary’ has only been the norm for decades in Asian novels. For example, Boys Love (BL) has been around long before America started making active moves on queer inclusivity in fiction, and it is not labelled ‘woke agenda’. Same with Josei or ‘female-gaze’ fiction. There are many more genres like this, but the one that is stirring the most controversy online as it gains traction is Reverse Harem.
‘Reverse Harem’ as a phrase may mean nothing to you, but the word ‘harem’ certainly will; many women and one golden man. It is the epitome of everything we understand as misogyny, male fantasy and the objectification of women as an accessory to the male ego. Unacceptable. Yuck. So backwards.
So what makes Reverse Harem, many men and one woman, any better?
Sure. At the core of it, it’s still based on power play and gender dynamics. The idea of it being subverted or ‘reversed’ in this sense doesn’t take away from the fact that at its core, it’s discriminatory. And that’s the main problem. Many men are complaining that ‘if it were the other way around, nobody would let it slide’. But maybe, just maybe… that is the whole point.
Because, Chad, it has been the other way around the whole time.
These Reverse Harem stories are not anything literary by any means, and to call it feminist in the sense that these authors are intentionally going out of their way to make a point would be wrong. But to say that these stories are not feminist in nature, in essence, would be to just deny that completely. They are literally called reverse harem. Because they are reversing the stereotype.
The actual act of putting women in a position of power and control, and men in a position void of that, is a redistribution of power. In very traditional societies that favour men, this is the very definition of a radical feminist statement. Asia, which is still progressing towards a more equitable, gender balanced society, will especially see it this way. But Western societies that have already made that progress? Not so much.
And just to clarify, this doesn’t make reverse harem ‘okay’ in any sort of way.
What do you think?
